Commissioner pushes for downtown streetcar revival

Miami commissioner Marc Sarnoff is trying to build support for a revival of the long-discussed streetcar system for downtown Miami.

During last week’s meeting, Sarnoff pleaded with other commissioners to push Miami-Dade’s Metropolitan Planning Organization to prioritize streetcars in its list of projects. He cited worsening traffic congestion and substantial population growth in the city. The electric-powered streetcar system had support last decade, but the project languished during the recession.

“With the construction currently underway, we’ll have an additional 85,000 residents by 2016,” Sarnoff said, as cited by Miami Today. “This represents an increase of 16 percent from 2011 … if the streetcar was deemed worthy of a significant conversation in 2006, we certainly need it in the near future given this population growth.” [Miami Today] — Eric Kalis